Albany boys soccer stuns Shenendehowa in overtime to advance to Class AAA semifinals
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany High boys soccer head coach David Weiss encapsulated the will of his team with just two powerful sentences after Thursday night's thrilling Class AAA quarterfinal match with Shenendehowa.
"If there's time left on the clock, there's always a chance; whether it's this sport we love, or life," said Weiss. "You just gotta have that belief, and the boys had it."
That belief shined through when Albany, staring down a 1-0 deficit on the road, managed to force overtime with just 43 seconds remaining in regulation. Minutes into the extra period, Falcons senior midfielder and captain Charlie Bromirski completed the comeback with a goal off a corner kick from his co-captain, Christian Bermejo, securing Albany a 2-1 win and a spot in the semifinals.
After Bermejo's kick was batted around the box, the ball found its way to Bromirski, who was positioned just beyond the goal line on the right side of the goal. Bromirski had just one man to beat - the Shen goalkeeper - and put the game-winner away with his left foot.
"Ball coming in, it was laying on the floor half way," said Bromirski. "Just got it in the back of the net; pretty simple. Captain Christian...kept us in it. The team [came] together in overtime. It was just [about] intensity."
As Bromirski alluded to, his heroics would not have been possible if not for the efforts of Bermejo, who netted the equalizer off a deep free kick. His goal came in response to Shen's Noah Gonzalez breaking a scoreless tie with 4:17 remaining in the second half. Gonzalez buried a free kick of his own that sent the home faithful into a frenzy.
Just when it appeared as if Shen had the game under wraps, Albany's Adam Rouse drew a foul with just over a minute left on the clock. Bermejo promptly silenced the crowd, delivering a perfectly-placed shot that just drifted over the head of the Shen keeper.
"My team and I, we never give up," said Bermejo. "We always give 100% effort. I think we just pushed through towards the end. Unlucky free kick that [Shen] had, but we did it. We completed the mission."
That mission was to overcome a Shen team that was seeded third in the Class AAA bracket, and had beaten the sixth-seeded Falcons 4-1 in a game just seven days prior.
"Every game is different, and every opponent will be coming in with a different mindset," said Bermejo. "I think [Shen] came in with the mindset that they were gonna win. But we showed 'em we're the underdogs, and we did it. We're such a good team. We're still hungry; hungry for more."
Albany advances to take on second-seeded Guilderland - the defending section champs - in the semifinals Tuesday at La Salle. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m.
Shen concludes its season having posted a 10-4 overall record during the regular season.